Can't It Be Real?
by Janfica20
Summary: Shine doesn't know much about love and infatuation - she hadn't experienced it when she was a kit, nor in any other stage of her life. But when Shine is forced to visit the clan she ran away from when she was younger, emotions bubble back up within her. Most are negative. Others are strange and puzzling to her. What can a romantically reluctant Luxray do about it? Involves Gijinkas
1. Prologue

***Taps on microphone***

 **Chello? Is this thing on...? Welp, here I go…. I'm Janfica20, aaand this is my first story! I wonder what to say next... I am actually a bit excited to make this story, as it has been festering in my mind for about a year. In reality, this really wasn't an independent story, but in fact just a small scenario that I wanted played out in an Rp that I was doing with a friend on a completely different site. However, since things had happened, and I didn't want to have this idea die, I'm just gonna make it a story and see where it goes. Yes, yes I know it isn't anywhere** _**near**_ **Valentine's Day or any given day as a celebration of love or affection, but I really wanted to do this.**

 **~Oh…. Also, as a warning, I tend to give a lot of meat before and in between the actual plot of the story…. Not sure if this is good or bad, but I'll let y'all see if you like my style.**

 **So, some background information before I start. This story focuses on my OC named Shine. Shine the Luxray. She's an independent and fierce Luxray who ran away when she was a Luxio. While on her own, she fought other Pokemon bravely and fiercely for her own well-being, gaining a well-known and intimidating reputation amongst the Pokemon of the forest. This, needless to say, came out to be a lonesome life. But after living alone for a good period of time, she then eventually met and befriended a young Gardevoir gijinka named Malum and an older Pidgeot gijinka named Ashtad (on two separate occasions). Throughout our Rp, the three had gone through many adventures and misadventures alike, their bonds of friendship growing stronger as they got into and out of trouble together.**

 **As much as I want to start off with the setting of the story, I think a prelude will help give a small idea of Shine's personality.**

 **Oh, and Pokemon of course isn't mine. It's GAMEFREAK's and NINTENDO and the maker of these wondrous monsters... Sorry, we know they're his don't hate me for not typing it out xP**

 **Finally, I begin my story... Now!**

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Chapter 0: A Ridiculous Feeling

The sun was shining in the sky above the wide green forest. The rays beat down on the trees, and whatever rays pass through the leafy barrier share its warmth with the ground below. It's mid-spring, and the heat was already reaching a high temperature on its own, only to be worsened by the stuffy billows of heat that blew across the forest. The heat was even reaching this area of the forest that was marked by a cave; in front of it was a large circle of dirt with its few patches of grass that seemed to attempt to give the earth tones some sort of a splash of color. On either side were the luscious trees that led to the depths of the forest. The heat made all the Pokemon a bit irritated and tired, but it seemed to appear ineffective to a particular Luxray. She was out and sneaking around the dirt patch, crouched down as if prepared to strike.

The large feline swayed her curled tail back and forth, her eyes set on a pair of feet that were resting lazily on the cave floor. Her short mane zapped slightly with electricity and her eyes narrowed, the feline moved her shoulders back and forth as she snuck herself closer and closer to her target. She made sure her steps were silent, and her senses sharp to give herself an edge whenever she did anything like this. Anticipation building, she gave herself a mental countdown.

'Three... Two... One... Now!'

The Luxray leaped up with a roar, muscular legs pushing her off the ground and a good distance to her prey. She landed on the mark - only to be met with the cold cave floor and a half eaten Oran Berry. The Luxray murmured in confusion, lowering her head to sniff the area around the berry.

"Really? Oh come on! Where did she go now?" The Luxray asked with slight irritation. Her answer was nothing but a sudden splash of cold cave water as it magically covered itself on the Electric type's body, making her yelp as she jumped in the air with spin.

"Ahh! Malum! You teleported! And splashed me!" The Luxray exclaimed with a growl. The young girl, known as Malum, giggled and stood innocently as she faced the Luxray.

"Yes. Yes I did," Malum responded with a mischievous smile. Shine sighed as she shook her body of the water that dripped off her fur.

"How did you know when to move? Did you sense me or something? I was quiet."

"Well…. Yes and no. I wasn't really asleep, so I did kinda sense you. But on top of that, your fur was making a lot of noise. Not to mention the roar when you jumped. Perhaps you should work on controlling that," the young girl said with a giggle.

Shine huffed at Malum's explanation. She should've seen that coming. Among the many tricks she did to Shine, the most common one Malum was always known for was her feigning acts. It irritated Shine that she forgot to think of the little possibility. Malum noticed the slight frown in her friend's face and walked up to her, reaching out a hand to pet the large cat.

"Don't be too hard on yourself. You got closer this time than you were the last few times. You are getting better," Malum commented with a smile. Shine brightened her face at the statement and smiled, purring softly when the hand made contact to her forehead. Shine's eyes lowered like she was in a trance, and her tail flicked like she was close to sleep. Malum chuckled at how content Shine looked every time she was touched there, and lifted her hand before the large feline went out completely. It took a moment, but after a few blinks, Shine snapped out of her trance with a short snort, shaking her head once more as she went back to a more focused state. She blushed and lowered an ear, backing away as she cleared her throat.

Malum chuckled at Shine's consciousness towards her bodily reactions, but didn't say anything to embarrass her more. She simply sighed as she went down and laid on her back, letting the sun beat down on her.

Shine had laid down in the middle of the dirt area, sighing contentedly as the water from earlier dried up from her fur. But before she could rest any more, Shine's ears picked up the large fluttering sounds of wings. She looked up and saw a female humanoid swoop in for a landing, her wings blowing a lot of wind around. Shine got on her feet and walked up to the female folding her very large wings close to her back.

"Hey Ashtad! You have a good time flying?" Shine asked with a small nudge. The woman looked over to the Luxray and gently pet her head, looking up at the sky with a sigh.

"Y-y-yes S-S-Shine… I had a go-o-ood time. B-But it is a b-bit h-h-hot…. M-might we go t-t-to the ri-iver?" Ashtad asked.

Shine, who didn't mind getting wet on a hot day, but was a bit wary of the river, lifted her head up and lowered her ears. For some odd reason, whenever Shine and her friends went to the river, something bad ends up happening. One time, an elite tracker and hunter from the laboratory Malum had escaped from found Malum and stalked her and Shine, until it was the right moment to strike. Shine, as good and powerful she was, tried her hardest to protect Malum, but the human's high-tech was quick to outmatch her. Malum was taken, but Shine managed to find the lab and take Malum back.

But there were good times at the river as well; Shine couldn't forget that. She looked over to Malum to see if she would get an answer, but she was fiddling with the grass. Most likely, she would go along with whatever Shine said. Seeing that it was all up to her, Shine nodded her head and began walking off towards the treeline.

"Alright then! Let's go to the river! I wouldn't mind splashing in the water." Ashtad smiled and spread her wings to take off over the forest, while Malum immediately got up and went beside Shine. The Luxray smiled and nuzzled Malum, then proceeded to wrap her long tail around Malum's waist to grab her. The tail sat the girl on the back, then unravelled just before Shine began to pick up pace.

"Hang on Malum, I'm going to be running for a bit," Shine said with a smile.

After a short while, the three friends got to the river, where there always was a variety of forest Pokémon playing and conversing at the banks. Most of the Pokémon were Water types of course like Poliwag and Surskit, but there were plenty of others here as well, such as Sentret and Furret, Pikachu, Bidoof and the occasional Buizel. But the Pokémon that one was sure to see were Ducklett and Swanna. Ducklett love to play in the water, and it was very natural for them to hang around with their evolved forms: Swanna. The more experienced Pokémon stayed at the river because they often protected the smaller aquatic avian even if they weren't related; they also liked to use the river as a stage, and the other Pokémon were the audiences to their aerial and aquatic routines.

The Ducklett liked to watch the Swanna when they do their dances; all the Pokémon at the river did. When Shine, Malum and Ashtad got close to the river, they heard the sounds and noises of many Pokémon. Shine's demeanor changed quite a bit from the playful feline to the serious, anti-social Luxray that everyone knew about.

As the three drew closer to the water, some Pokémon looked over to see the three females approach the water, giving mixed reactions depending on who they were referring to. Some of the Pokémon knew about Malum despite her closeness to Shine, so they didn't really say much about her. They didn't know nor see Ashtad that often, but they seemed to figure that she was just as shy as they were, if not more.

Towards Shine herself… It was a bit different.

Shine snorted at the whispers, figuring that they were talking about her. Malum tapped her head and gave her a supportive look, then went on to go play in the water. Ashtad did the same, tiptoeing her way into the cooler water and stopping when she was satisfied with how far she was. Shine didn't do anything but drink some water and lay near a Pecha berry bush, ignoring the stares from the other Pokémon.

Eventually, the other Pokémon went back to their own business; but not even five minutes had gone by before the commotion grew a bit, and Shine was prompted to lift her head to see what the matter was. Apparently, several male Swanna were dancing, and their movements were putting the other Pokémon in awe. Shine watched them with a flick of her tail, her interest hidden under her unimpressed facial expressions. She turned her head a little to see Malum and Ashtad pausing to see the performance, shaking her head with a chuckle when she saw how intense their attention was.

As the male Swanna danced in the water, Shine noticed there was one in the middle that was easily seen as the appealing one to the female Swanna. Shine had no doubt in her mind that he was a top pick for possible partners. When his dancing made the females swoon, Shine groaned in annoyance and rolled her eyes, unfazed by his seemingly irresistible dance moves. The moment the middle Swanna grabbed a female Swanna and danced with her, Shine groaned in annoyance and turned her head, unwilling to continue watching such a performance. The dance went on for a few more minutes before it ended, resulting in the Pokémon to cheer happily and excitedly as the Swanna bowed. Shine once again shook her head in a growl, wishing for the noise to quiet down.

Strangely enough, the same dancing Pokémon flew over to our side of the river and talked to Malum, puzzling Shine at first until she heard their conversation.

"Forgive the intrusion, but are you the human girl that happens to play sweet sounds with strange human objects?" the bird asked.

Malum nodded her head with a chuckle. "You mean my Violin? Yes I am," Malum replied. Shine cocked her head to the side - where was this conversation going?

"So, you are the peculiar girl my fellow Pokémon have been talking about. My friends have told to me in the past about a human girl who could make music a Swanna would seem to be unable to stop himself from dancing to. It would be interesting to listen to this famous music. Who knows, it might be helpful of getting the females' attention," the Swanna said with a chuckle. Shine narrowed her eyes and snorted loudly. She didn't like how he said that statement. The Swanna turned his head and blinked rapidly at the sight of a Luxray narrowing their eyes at him, making him a bit nervous.

But he tried to mask his nervousness and walked up to the Electric type.

"Is there a problem?" The male swan asked. Malum watched with crossed arms and an unreadable look on her face.

"Is that all you dance for? Hoping to pick up females everywhere you go?" Shine asked with a scoff in her breath. The Swanna seemed a bit insulted at the question, and put a wing to his chest as if he had been hit.

"How dare you! I, Swanton, do not dance for the hopes of 'picking up' females…. They just seem to fall into my wings," the Swanna added with a light chuckle. Shine growled and flicked her tail in irritation - something that Malum picked up on.

' _Shine, you better calm down before you end up doing something that scares the other Pokémon. I don't want to interfere here,'_ Malum told Shine with her telepathy. The Luxray snorted but nodded her head, taking her friend's warning by heart. She didn't want to be whacked on the head again. But at the same time, this Swanna was getting on her nerves. Was it the heat?

"Humph…. That's ridiculous! You probably make them fall for you with a move or something…. No way your flapping makes them do that," Shine said with a snort. The Swanna gasped and pointed a wing at her.

"I'll have you know that my 'flapping' has made me a top pick in my flock. With my beauty and grace and superior moves I win any battle that comes my way," Swanton said with a haughty voice. The moment he said the word 'battle' Shine perked her ears up in interest.

' _He wins any battle? Mmmmmm….. How interesting,'_ Shine thought with an intrigued flick of her ears. If there was anything that made Shine interested, it was battle. She loved to fight - it got her blood pumping and excitement going. The Luxray stood up on her paws and smiled an uncharacteristic grin, her teeth slightly showing themselves to the water bird as she towered over the Swanna. "So you win any battle huh? Well then, let's see if your statement is true. Battle me," Shine said as some electricity sparked around her mane. Swanton craned his head back and gave a 'humph', as if he couldn't believe he was being challenged.

"Like I would ever fight the likes of you. You wouldn't last a minute fighting me," Swanton said with a huff. The claim made Shine's fur spark even more with excitement. She wanted to see if this Swanna's claim is true and any good. Besides, she was beginning to feel a bit bored laying around.

"Oh really? Then you shouldn't have any trouble fighting me. What do you say 'Mr. Superior'?" Shine asked as she drew her face closer to the Swanna's face. The Swanna suddenly seemed to be a bit nervous, seeing that he made a claim of a fight….. To an Electric type. He stammered slightly in his response, but hearing the cheers of the other Pokémon and female Swanna made him feel like he had no other choice. He swallowed his fear (or whatever amount of fear he could swallow) and agreed to the challenge, resulting in the Pokémon of the river to cheer. Shine smiled and lifted her head up, grinning to the thrill of battle she'll experience.

Before the battle, Malum pulled Shine to the side and spoke to her.

"Shine, you be careful when you battle okay? We don't want you to activate your… Condition right?" Malum asked with a knowing and concerning tone of voice.

Shine lowered her ears and nodded her head, for she knew what she was talking about. "Yeah Malum. I'll be careful," Shine assured. The Luxray walked away from Malum after a small nod of her head, and went to begin the battle the Swanna.

Malum watched as the two Pokémon backed away from the river and into a decent space for their battle. She stood in the middle and turned her head to each of the Pokemon. "The first one to be unable to battle is the loser. Understand?" Malum asked. Both Pokémon nodded.

"Alright…. BEGIN!"


	2. Prologue (Pt 2)

**So this is my second part xd**

 **I was going to put this all in one whole page, but it was getting a bit lengthy, sooooo yeah. Part two xD**

 **Enjoy!**

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Shine lifted her tail in the air a little as she lowered the upper half of her body to the ground. "You go first," Shine said with a huff. The Swanna raised his wings and flapped them multiple times, but nothing had happened yet. Shine watched in slight irritation and confusion as the bird began to dance on his feet, making the female Swanna cheer and swoon once again. Shine growled at the display presented to her; she expected a real battle, not some dance presentation. Swanton danced a little more until Shine charged at her opponent, her fur sparking exponentially as she got closer. But suddenly, right when Shine was within a certain distance, the Swanna's wings glowed blue, and he began to flap them until he sent several glowing blades of blue energy at his target. He flew upwards as he did so, making sure to get out of Shine's reach. The blades hit Shine in the back, making the Luxray roar in surprise. Dust flew in the air, covering the Luxray for a couple of moments before it dissipated, showing the Luxray unable to move.

Shine mentally gasped at the result of the attack. She had flinched! She was surprised at how she was forced to be frozen, and waited a few seconds before she was able to turn around. Swanton was dancing once more on his feet, making the female Swanna to swoon and his male partners to cheer for him, along with the other river Pokemon. Shine huffed and shook herself, then slowly walked towards the dancing avian with a low growl. Swanton twirled a few times before firing a stream of hot water right in Shine's direction. She gasped and leaped over the water, then launched herself at the bird with claws outstretched. Swanton widened his eyes and flapped his wings multiple times, firing several shots of hot water again and again until it his Shine on her shoulder.

"OWWW!" Shine yowled as she shakily landed on the ground. Swanton had flown out of the Luxray's way once again, panting at how close she was that second time. Shine panted as the pain from the Scald made her shoulder throb with pain, but she seemed to be a bit worried about her arm. She stood for a few moments before deeming herself safe to continue, and turned around to face her opponent again. At this point, Shine was now growing frustrated, as she wasn't able to land a blow on this dancing bird. He was clearly a special attacker - Shine disliked special attacks since they prevent her from getting in close to her opponent. But the thing that frustrated her more was the dancing. Was it to keep him calm? Or was it to taunt his opponents in a strange way? Shine stared at the swan once again, watching him as he flapped his wings and twirled his feathers around. His eyes were closed from what Shine could see, aside from the occasional peeking to see if she was moving, and yet she could see him concentrated in his dance.

' _Wait. Concentrated. He doesn't seem to miss a step as he dances. And he hits on the mark every time he moves. I get it now,'_ Shine thought as she flicked her tail behind her. The dancing was a way to keep the swan in the battle in his unique way - his focus keeps his head clear as he battles, while his opponent loses control and eventually the battle. Shine almost didn't catch it, but now that she has, she might be able to win the battle. Shine smirked a little and slowly stepped closer to the Swanna.

The cheering Pokémon on the sidelines began to mutter to each other, concern beginning to lace their tone of voices. Swanton peeked his eyes open to see Shine slowly close the gap between them. He flapped his wings with more power once he saw her, seemingly preparing to fire another move. Shine moved faster to prompt Swanton into dancing more. Right when he was about to make a move, Shine opened her mouth to use Howl, causing Swanton to gasp in surprise and break his dance as he covered his ears. When he looked back to the Luxray, he was shocked to see Shine already upon him! He tried to flap out of the way, but he was too late. He was soon jerked back down to the ground as the Luxray clamped her jaws around his wing, and felt a sharp cold feeling in his wing as he was frantically tried to escape. He was released by being thrown to the other side of the battlefield, but he somehow caught himself from slamming on the ground. He panted as he flapped frantically to keep his balance, and shakily landed on the ground to look at his wing. It was partially covered in ice, and it had a cold numbness to it, which was sure to make flying very difficult unless he thawed it out. A wisp of panic slid its way into Swanton - how was he supposed to fly with his wing like this? Perhaps he could thaw it out? No, there wasn't enough time. He was still in a battle.

Wait, battle?!

Swanton actually forgot he was still in the midst of battle! He looked up to see the large Luxray charging towards him with Wild Charge, showing her icy blue fangs as she presented them with an open snarl. In a full blown panic, Swanton fired multiple Scald attacks at Shine, but she dodged them as she ran around in a zig-zag pattern. When she got close for a strike, the Luxray leaped up and roared, bracing herself for the blow she knew would defeat the water bird.

But what Shine didn't prepare for was for Swanton to dodge her strike at the last minute. With terrified shouts, Swanton tried as fast as he could to run away from Shine as she skidded on the grass, but she reacted by unraveling her unnaturally long tail and extending it to reach the fleeing Swanna. She wrapped the zapping tail around Swanton's leg and dragged him back to her, making the Swanna honk and shout and flap frantically as he felt himself being mercilessly shocked by the electricity dancing on her fur.

Shine chuckled as she stared at the panicking Swanna, though not out of malice, only from the thrill of the battle. Shine's eyes began to glow red from her excitement, and she lifted Swanton higher to avoid being swatted from the large wings. As a final move, Shine decided to toss Swanton in the air and into her Ice Fang, and opened her jaws wide to make sure he would be defeated swiftly. The cheering Pokémon gasped collectively at what seemed to be a decisive win for the Luxray. But as Swanton was coming back down from the air, he looked into the Luxray's bright red eyes. As he looked in those glowing eyes he somehow remembered a move that could possibly turn the battle to his favor! In a last ditch effort, Swanton twirled mid-fall until he summoned multiple hearts, then he gave a wink and a blowing kiss to send them off to Shine's face.

Shine, unknowing of this new move unleashed upon her, steeled up her tail and attempted to block it with Iron Tail, but it went around her tail and surrounded her face before making contact with her. Shine closed her eyes with an involuntary flinch, and once the hearts hit her, she growled lowly and shook her head around. Malum and Ashtad (who was lingering in the background) watched intently as the Luxray react to the Attract. Soon, the growling stopped and they were met with the expected results of the move: Shine had become infatuated! The once battle-focused Luxray had now become reduced to a swooning feline!

Large pink hearts replaced Shine's normal eyes as she stumbled around, unable to attack for anything. Swanton smirked and got up from the ground, having managed to somehow not be utterly broken since he landed on Shine's back before landing on the ground. However, that wasn't without hurting himself a little, for the Luxray's fur was still sparking from the Wild Charge. Without hesitation, Swanton spread his wings and fired a Scald at the Luxray, hitting her on the mark as she took the move with a pained roar. Yet still, Shine never responded with an attack. It seemed that Shine was going to lose after all.

"Haha! Turns out I win! Nobody can beat Swanton!" the Swanna declared with his newfound confidence in the battle. Wishing to finish the battle once and for all, Swanton opened his mouth in preparation for a large Ice Beam.

Just as he fired his move, another equally shocking event happened in the battle. Shine, despite her apparent incapability to fight back, dashed to the side and dodged the beam of ice. She stood up and kept her gaze towards Swanton, who was rather shocked at the new development. He had never seen anyone under the effects of Attract to dodge moves. He fired Ice Beam once more, only for the same result to happen.

"Why won't you stay still? You aren't supposed to move!" a frustrated Swanton exclaimed with an irritated flap of his wings.

"Oh you're so handsome! What a dashing Swanna you are!" Shine said with a sigh. Everyone was surprised at Shine's sudden response: Swanton, Malum, Ashtad…. Nobody expected the Luxray to say anything along those lines.

"You can't expect me to just let you beat me without a little kiss! You handsome bird you! Come here!" Shine said before suddenly dashing towards the Swanna. The water bird squawked in surprise before firing multiple shots of Scald, all in which were dodged by the agile Luxray. Then, when Shine was close enough to the Swanna, she leaped high in the air with her teeth bared, and her paws outstretched to grab the Swanna.

"AHHHH!"

Malum gasped and looked out to the dust cloud that has risen up. The river Pokemon murmured to each other in concern, wondering the outcome of the battle. Then, multiple noises were heard… Kissing noises? Swanton shouting? The moment the dust cleared, an amusing scene was revealed: a giggling Shine nuzzling and rubbing her head on Swanton. The poor Swanna was being constantly shocked by the electricity dancing throughout her fur, and he was flapping a wing around in a vain attempt to free himself.

"Let go of me you overgrown furball!" Swanton's exclaimed.

"Oh no! Your feathers are so lovely! And your eyes are so beautiful," Shine remarked. The Swanna closed his eyes and cringed at the pain the electricity was causing him, but it seemed as if the Luxray was oblivious to the effects her fur had on him. She just kept complimenting him and nuzzling him to the ground. The river Pokémon laughed at the embarrassing sight, and Swanton couldn't take it anymore. He looked over to Malum as she casually walked over to the two Pokemon, and extended a wing out to her.

"Get this ball of fluff off of me! I can't take much more of the shocking fur on my body," Swanton pleaded before he got licked by a pink tongue. Malum giggled and kneeled down to his level, casually glancing at her friend who was constantly voicing how handsome and amazing this Swanna was. She looked back at Swanton.

"Well she seems to like you enough. I'm not sure if I want to part you two," Malum said with a teasing voice. The Swanna flapped his wings harder in protest.

"Please! I'm beginning to lose the feeling in my legs! She's too heavy for me!" the Swanna pleaded in a louder voice. Malum stayed still for a few moments more as if she was thinking about it, but in reality she had already made her decision. She nodded her head and got up, pulling out and extending her staff as she looked to Shine's head.

"You do realize that this is a tie right? Neither you nor her was able to finish the battle," Malum asked as she glanced to the Swanna. The bird sighed and nodded his head as best he could, and asked Malum to hurry and get the Luxray off him. With a nod, Malum stood still for a second to aim, and then in a quick motion, smacked the Luxray's head with the sturdy pole. The large feline roared out in pain, lifting herself off of the Swanna and backing away as she covered her head with her paws.

"OWWW! What was that for?!" Shine snarled as she turned to Malum. Malum simply put her staff away and walked to the Swanna, putting her hand on his body and began to heal him.

"You were entranced by Swanton's Attract. I simply snapped you out of it," the girl said without looking at Shine. The Luxray snorted and rubbed her head, trying to ebb away the stinging pain that lingered on her head. She looked to the Swanna and suddenly, as if the waters of emotion came flooding within her, Shine felt a warmth in her body. Like somebody lit a flame in her heart.

The warming feeling spread to her paws and tail, making a small tingling feeling prominent as she looked to the Swanna. His eyes suddenly looked so nice to look at, and his stature made her purr in satisfaction. Wait what?! Her heart beat a little faster than it was a moment ago, as if Shine had…. Feelings for the bird in front of her. Was it so? What was happening? Unsure of what the source of these sensations, Shine began to panic, making sparks of electricity dance around her fur.

Malum noticed the sounds of electricity and turned her head to Shine, seeing and sensing the worry within the Luxray. "Shine what's wrong?" Malum asked with concern. Shine quickly shook her head, and backed away a few inches before turning heel and running away. Malum watched Shine run away, worried as to what the matter was that made Shine react in such a way. But first, she had to finish healing the Swanna.

' _Ashtad, I need you to follow Shine! Something's wrong - can you go ask and see what the matter is?'_ Malum telepathically asked the other female gijinka as she looked to her. Ashtad jumped a little from her initial statement, but nodded her head and stretched out her wings and went after the Luxray.

After a small while of Shine running and Ashtad flying, the Luxray settled near a tree stump. She panted and paced around the stump, wondering if anything was the matter with her.

' _I couldn't have been attracted to him could I? I had barely met the stupid bird! And he was a pompous Swanna, thinking that he just had his way with the females…. So I couldn't have-'_

Shine's thoughts were briefly dashed when she heard wing beats behind her. She turned around to see Ashtad landing near a tree, worry and concern etched on her face. "Shine! W-what's the m-m-matter with y-y-you?" Ashtad asked as she approached Shine. The Luxray sighed and shook her head.

"I don't know. My body feels warm, and I…. Felt… Something," Shine said the last word in a hushed voice. Ashtad tilted her head to the side in confusion. What did Shine mean by that?

"You d-did j-just have a b-battle. You s-sure it-t-t wasn't that?"

"Yes I'm sure. But I just don't know what I felt after that. Something was different," Shine commented as she focused her senses on her body. She definitely still felt the strangeness inside her. Ashtad sighed and shook her head. She sat down on the tree stump and pat Shine's head.

"Don't worry. I-I am sure it w-was nothing," Ashtad softly said. "Just wait. M-M-Malum will c-come over in a m-minute," the winged woman said as she steadily pat the Luxray's head.

Five minutes went by before Malum came through the trees. Shine and Ashtad looked up as she walked over to the two, with the Luxray sighing as her friend sat down in front of her.

"Malum. What are you doing here?" Shine asked with a sigh.

"I am seeing if you're alright. You ran off after the battle. You normally don't do that," Malum stated curiously. Shine growled and lowered her ears while she laid down.

"It's… I…. I don't know. It's annoying though. I can still feel it," Shine said as she looked down to her chest. Malum reached her hand out and placed it on the Luxray's chest, moving it around as if she was examining it. After a few moments Malum pulled her hand away.

"I don't sense anything wrong. Your chest seems fine to me," Malum concluded. Shine growled and shook her head.

"No, I don't really mean it like that… I mean… I had a feeling when I was looking at the Swanna. It started in my chest - it got warm and my heartbeat got quicker. I could tell because my heart had slowed down a little before it sped up again. Then I stared into the Swanna's eyes and thought…." Shine paused and looked away from Malum with a small blush on her face.

Malum tilted her head curiously. "Thought what? You can tell me Shine," Malum encouraged.

Shine took a small breath and looked back to Malum again. "I thought that the Swanna's eyes looked pretty. And that he was…. Cute," Shine groaned the last word as she covered her eyes with her paws. Malum blinked and looked to Ashtad, who was looking at Malum with the same quizzical look as well. It took Malum a moment to catch on what Shine was saying, but she caught on quick enough. She chuckled, making Shine and Ashtad look up to her with questionable looks.

"Shine, there's nothing wrong with you. You were just feeling the remaining effects of the Attract. You are still a bit infatuated with him. It will wear off soon enough," Malum said with a simple nod of her head.

Shine lowered an ear and tilted her head. "Infatuated? What does that mean?" she questioned. Malum and Ashtad blinked in surprise. Shine didn't know what that meant? Malum found it difficult to believe, but she spoke up anyway.

"Infatuation is when someone has feelings for another, but it doesn't last long, because it is based on a physical level rather than an emotional one. Like the female Swanna and Swanton. They were most likely infatuated with him for his looks and behavior."

Shine growled and unsheathed her claws to make small scrapes in the ground. "Huh…. So that's what I see when the females ogle over the males, or vice versa. How embarrassing," Shine said as she sat herself up and proceeded to lick her paw. Malum and Ashtad looked at each other once more and gave each other questioning looks. This time Ashtad spoke up ask Shine a question.

"Shine, w-w-why do you think it's-s embarras-s-s-sing? I believe it's normal for it t-t-to happen," Ashtad mentioned. Shine turned her head to the winged woman and snorted a little.

"Because, it isn't me. Have you ever seen me look at anyone like I can't stop thinking about them?"

"Well…. No…."

"Exactly. And you wouldn't ever see me doing that because it would never happen to me," Shine said with a huff.

Malum folded her arms and put her hand to her chin. "And why is that?"

Shine looked to Malum as her curled tail flicked around. For a moment, there was a bit of hesitation in her eyes, but it was just as quickly driven away from her expression once she was ready to say her reason. "Because… it isn't for me. All those strange emotions that come up and whatever else that may come up? I don't have a reason to be roped up in that. From what I've seen, I don't seen any benefit for it," Shine said as before she went to her other paw.

"Benefit? Well, there are good things to come and not-so-good things. But it can happen to anybody," Malum said with a nod.

Shine quickly retorted, "Well, it wouldn't happen to me."

"And why not? You were just infatuated a while ago."

Shine snorted and shook her head. "And that was forced. It didn't happen on my own accord. It would never happen to me on my own accord," Shine stated. Malum couldn't understand why Shine was saying this stuff about herself.

"You are just as capable of falling for someone as the next Pokémon! Why are you so insistent on the opposite?" Malum asked as she stood up. Shine snarled and stood up herself, towering over the young girl with her sheer size.

"Because I just know okay?!" Shine nearly yowled with bared teeth. Malum tensed her body as she kept her eyes on Shine's now glowing red ones, whereas Ashtad was now hidden behind her large wings. Malum and Shine stared at each other for another minute before Shine backed away, a panting exhale escaping her mouth as she turned around.

"I'm sorry… Can we go home now?" Shine asked as she looked back to the other two females. Ashtad quickly took to the skies with a couple beats of her wings, and Malum, who was now mentally scolding herself for Shine's mini outburst, approached the Luxray's flank and touched her. Then, in the blink of an eye, they disappeared from sight.


	3. Intruders

The sun shone down on the earth with beams of warmth as it dominated the winds. Shine snorted as she walked through the forest, paying no mind to the Pokemon that kept complaining about the heat.

"What is it with everybody and the sun? Summer is the best time of the year," Shine muttered as she looked back to her tail. It was wrapped around a medium sized piece of wood, in which a pile of berries would be seen on it. Berries of all colors and sizes: Pecha, Oran, Sitrus, Aspear…. But the Luxray made sure to grab her favorite berry: Cheri berries! The thought of eating a spicy and flavorful berry made Shine's mouth water. It was incentive enough to make the Luxray trot faster to her cave, where her friends were surely waiting on her.

"I'm baaaaack! And I got breakfast!" Shine called out as she padded to the mouth of her cave. Malum and Ashtad looked up from what they were doing and stood up, going to meet Shine and ask their pleasantries.

"Oh! G-g-g-good morning S-S-Shine! How wa-as your sleep?" the stuttering female asked. Shine walked over to Ashtad and nuzzled her, then to Malum, who pat her head with a friendly smile. Shine purred and went over to her berry pile, sitting down with a wagging tail. "My sleep was alright. How about you two?" Shine asked.

"Good thank you," Malum said as she sat down. "So, you I see you brought berries. You didn't have to bring them you know," Malum said as she reached out for a berry. Shine smiled.

"Yeah I know. But I like to know that you've eaten. You tend to skip breakfast," Shine said with a light scowl on her face. She used her tail to grab a Pecha berry and gave it to her, then grabbed her a Cheri berry and ate it with a contented sigh. The three ate their food as they talked to each other, wondering how they were to go about their day.

But little did they know about their activities in the near future.

As the three comrades ate in the sun, Shine sensed something was amiss. She looked up and perked her ears, swiveling them around to tune in on the noises within the forest. Malum was the first to notice Shine's sudden attentiveness to the trees.

"Something wrong?" the girl asked. Shine looked to her left, then her right, then to Malum.

"I don't know yet. I sense something wrong…. Like something is out there. I could be wrong though," Shine said with a low voice. Ashtad stopped eating and whimpered, searching the trees for something she didn't know what to look for. Shine waited for a moment before shrugging it off and going back to her berries.

"Perhaps it was nothing," the Luxray sighed.

But before she got to her third berry, Shine barely heard the snapping of something in the distance, so faint it was puzzling how she heard it over her munching. The Luxray jerked her ears up again, this time a growl forcing its way out of her mouth. Malum looked up again.

"Now what? I thought you said it was nothing," Malum commented as she watched the Luxray stand up and give a few paces to the left.

"Yeah, but it's hard to ignore it now. Something's out there - an intruder. And you know how I feel about that," Shine said as she flicked her tail. She huffed and extended her curled appendage, then went to wrap it around the wooden platter of berries and drag it to the cave. Malum and Ashtad watched Shine come out of the cave and pad over to the side of the clearing where she heard the distant noises, her fur lightly zapping with electricity as she readied herself for a battle.

"Could be Houndoom, could be Liepard… I'm going with a Houndoom…. Stupid mutts," Shine commented with a huff. She looked back to Malum and Ashtad with a tilted head. "Guys? You going to stay or go to the cave? I wouldn't want for you to get hurt," the Luxray said with concern. Malum shook her head and grabbed her staff, twirling it around before stilling it.

"I think I'll come along. You might need some help," Malum teased. Ashtad whimpered and waved her hand. "I'll s-stay back here," the woman said before she ran back to the cave, where she disappeared into the darkness the further she went. Shine nodded and huffed. With everyone in their places, Shine took the step forward and went into the treeline, with Malum following behind.

The two friends slowly turned their senses from their relaxed state to their fighting state as they snuck deeper into the territory. Shine and Malum were often ready for any battle, and this time was no different. The feline sniffed the air to see if she could figure out who was hiding in the distance, but she couldn't pick up anything. Strange, normally Houndoom had a strong and distinguishable scent on them - one that was like a mix of burning fur and sulfur. It was easy to pick up unless it was covered up extremely well.

Shine decided to use her X-Ray vision to find her intruder. She had to look for a short while, but she eventually found them. The way the creature was positioned made it hard to pinpoint what it was, but she was ready to attack nonetheless. Malum and Shine jumped up a tree and continued on until they got to their target, and kept themselves still as the mysterious creature moved within the brush. The two females waited for a good minute, eyes fixed on the bushes that kept their enemy hidden. A few seconds later, Shine bunched her muscles and launched herself at the bushes with a roar, aiming to startle the intruder with the sudden noise. Malum watched as her friend tumbled in the bushes, yowls and snarls suddenly filling the air from below. A minute later, a Luxray was thrown out of the bushes. Malum kept her eye on the one thrown out, and immediately knew it wasn't Shine.

Seeing the stranger to be a Luxray, Malum readied her staff quietly, waiting for the moment that Shine needed help. The enemy Luxray snarled and slowly approached the bush that he came from - the same one Shine hadn't come out of yet. He stalked closer to the bush with bared teeth, and right when he brought his nose to the leaves, he was met with a harsh smack on the snout. He roared in pain and stumbled backwards, bringing a paw up to his nose to rub it.

"Why you little-"

The Luxray growled as Shine came out of the shrubbery. Ears flattened against her head and fur sparked loud as she approached her enemy, the two beginning to circle one another as they examined each other. Shine noticed that she was a smidge larger than this male, but that didn't mean anything since he was a good fighter. But so was Shine.

"This is my territory and you are trespassing! Leave or face the consequences." Shine warned. The male Luxray chuckled a little.

"You think you can overpower me? Please, I'll pin you down before you can lay a claw on me," the Luxray said with a cocky snort. This got under Shine's skin and made her angrier. Her eyes narrowed as they glowed red, signifying Shine's eagerness to prove the male very wrong.

"You're going to eat those words," Shine snarled before she lunged at the other Luxray. She and the other Luxray met headfirst, and the two felines snarled and spat at each other while trying to get the upper hand. Claws racked through mane fur and teeth clenched around shoulders and legs. Then, the male Luxray made a particularly hard swipe across Shine's face. She yowled in pain and fell to the ground, scratch marks bleeding across her muzzle. Slightly dazed, Shine stumbled to her feet to face the male, who rushed her again with claws outstretched.

Shine, who felt she was in no way going to lose to the likes of a Pokémon like this Luxray, moved out of the way and steeled up her tail with Iron Tail, aiming to finish the male off with powerful blows. When the male slashed at her again, she countered with a swipe of her own, right across the muzzle. He howled in pain and anger, but before he could recuperate, Shine whirled around to slap her tail across his head again. When he fell down on the ground, she then lunged at the fallen Luxray and wrapped her tail around his neck, the Luxray making small choked pants as he tried to get out of the metal binds.

"Told you I'd make you eat your words," Shine said with a victorious huff. She lifted a paw to make a final blow, but before she could, familiar voices shouted at her.

"Shine! Don't do anything!" a female voice called out.

The Luxray looked up to see Malum running towards her. She ran up to Shine and seconds later she pulled up Shine's face close to her own. "Shine are you alright? Your snout! You're bleeding!" Malum exclaimed. Shine nodded and lifted her head away.

"Yeah, no thanks to this intruder," Shine said with an irritated snort. She turned to growl at the still struggling Luxray, who growled back at Shine despite his position.

"I am not the only one here you know! I didn't travel alone, so let me go!" the Luxray snarled. Shine narrowed her eyes and tightened her tail's coils. Then another voice came to her ears.

"Jax? Jax! Are you over here….?" A male voice spoke from behind the three.

Shine and Malum turned around to face the second male. They prepared themselves for another fight, until they both recognized the Luxray as he slowly came into view. The male Luxray stood tall, ears slightly lowered as he kept a small distance.

"Shine..."

Shine gasped as her eyes widened.

"Henry?"

* * *

A.N ~~

Okay, I'm so sorry for this huge gap in time! I never forgot about this, but things kept distracting me...

a.k.a life

I'm gonna try and put more effort into this, cause I wanna see this through myself... p


	4. Favors

Chapter 2: Favors

Shine stared into the eyes of her older brother. The one that she looked up to when they were kits. Unseen by her family for a good few years, and now here he was, standing in front of her before her very eyes.

"Shine… I know you said that you didn't want me back here on your territory, but I didn't know who else to see..." The male Luxray said hesitantly.

His words reminded Shine of what she said the first time around - which was true. She told him to not come back - especially after what he tried to do. Shine seemed to be frozen in silence, unmoving as she delved into her thoughts.

After a few moments, Malum waved a hand in front of the Luxray. "Shine? You here?" Malum asked as she looked over to the frozen feline. Shine shook her head and snorted, her ears flattening as she came back to reality.

"Yeah, I'm here," Shine said with a nod. The moment she turned her attention to Henry, Shine snarled at the older Luxray. "You already know what I'm going to say, and your friend over here isn't going to help you any. He attacked me in my own territory!" Shine hissed with bared teeth. Henry lowered his ears a little and looked over to the other Luxray. He was still struggling but wasn't doing as much as he expected. Tail must be around his neck pretty tight.

"Shine I know you're angry, but you can't let your anger control your actions," Malum reminded. Shine's ear flicked - a sign that she heard Malum - but she didn't want to take it to heart. Eyes began to glow red as she glared at her brother. Henry backed away even more, concerned for his own safety as he made sure to be out of attacking range.

Knowing what would happen if Shine attacked at this point, Malum tapped Shine's shoulder with the staff part of her scythe. "If you won't calm yourself down, I'll have to put you in a simulation. Do you really want that?" Malum asked in a tone of voice that was nearly mother-like. Henry and his comrade were confused at the supposed threat, but Shine was quick to stand down, with reluctance of course. She growled as she proceeded to calm herself down, closing her eyes so she wouldn't see anyone around her. Her ears flattened against her head as she settled down.

Malum was the first to speak up. "So. You two are here in Shine's territory. Surely you must have a reason."

Henry nodded his head. "Yes we do. But… Is it possible for… You know?" Henry said as he slowly pointed a paw at his bound partner.

Malum looked back to see the struggling Luxray and nodded her head. "Shine? If you can unwrap your tail please?" Malum politely asked. Shine nodded her head and unraveled her tail from around the other male's neck, finally allowing him to breathe properly as he stood up. Shine snorted and opened her eyes, which were now their normal color, as he padded past her without so much as a look.

"Now what do you want?" Shine harshly asked.

Henry took a pause to breathe before speaking. "We came here because… We need your help." Henry stated.

"My help? You? Whatever do you need my help for?" Shine asked incredulously.

Henry glanced at Jax before looking to Malum and Shine.

"To rescue our sisters and mother. They've been captured."

Shine blinked in disbelief. Did she hear that right?

"What do you mean by that? Captured? By humans?" Shine asked. Henry nodded. "Impossible. From what I remember the Luxray territories were hidden from the main human paths."

"Yes they still are, but our visually-sensitive sisters strayed too far from our territories and disappeared. When they didn't come back, Mom and I went out to track them down, and found them to be captured by bad humans. We tried to fight the humans and free them, but we ended up nearly being caught ourselves." Henry lowered his head a little after a small pause. "Well, I almost got caught while Mom did. I couldn't get them myself, and the leader of the clan said that he would try to figure out a way to free them. But I couldn't wait that long. So I convinced Jax to come with me and we came here."

Henry took a small breath after saying what was needed, and he looked up to Shine to see what her response was. Shine's physical reaction seemed indifferent, but in reality Shine's mind was reeling - he asked for her help. Really? When had he ever done that? It was almost like a dream. She never thought that he would bother to ever ask for her help. She had always seen him as one who figured out his own problems in one way or another. And besides, he rarely asked his sisters for help when they were younger. Then another thought came up: she remembered the way she left her family. Could she face them again? Would they want to even see her?

"I'm… Not sure about it. I don't like humans very much. I have had too many run-ins with the hunters and poachers, and I don't like rushing into danger," Shine said with a small shake of her head. Malum looked to Shine with a quizzical look, who caught the look and turned her head away.

' _What are you doing? Shine, for as long as I've met you, you have had little hesitation in running into danger,'_ Malum telepathically stated.

' _That is not true. There are times I've been hesitant in rushing into things. When Ashtad was captured, I didn't straight up attack the humans. I tried to free her silently before they caught me,'_ Shine argued.

Jax interrupted the silent argument with a growl. "Are we really going to ask her when she clearly is afraid of going?" While he was partly right, Shine never liked to be called out on the account of fear. She turned her attention towards Jax and snarled at him. "You be quiet! I am not afraid of going anywhere! I don't need you assuming what my thoughts are!" Shine shouted. Jax growled back and flicked his tail with growing annoyance, as did Shine. But before the two could get into it, Henry jumped in and intervened.

"Okay you two! That's enough. Shine seriously, I need to know if you're going to help. The longer we talk, the less time they have to be saved."

Shine hesitated and looked to her paws. She couldn't let herself fail to save her family, could she? If she did, she'd never forgive herself. Of course, they were family, there shouldn't be a choice. Even with all her nervousness, Shine sighed and looked up to the two males before her.

"Fine. We'll help you. But first, we have to get our other friend."


End file.
